The inaugural Cheshire Colleges Skills Competitions were held in March, they provided students with the opportunity to showcase the technical skills they have learnt across 4 specialisms – Construction, Sport, Hair & Beauty and Auto-motive.. These competitions provide not only an opportunity to develop technical excellence, but also personal attributes such as team work and resilience, as well as employability skills.
During the skills competitions students took part in activities that tested the practical skills they have been learning during their time at college. Many of the students have now been entered for the WorldSkills competitions and will now compete against colleges from across the UK in regional and national heats.
Rachel Kay, CEO and Principal at Macclesfield College said “These competitions give our learners in Cheshire the opportunity to develop high quality technical skills, which will ensure they have the skills required by regional and national employers in the future. We are thrilled that there has been an unprecedented number of students entered and wish them luck at the regional World Skills UK competitions in June.”
This year has seen huge growth in WorldSkills UK registrations across the North West. The region now takes the top spot in the UK, as the area with the highest number of learners registered at 1472, which is 800 more than in 2021. The North West has surpassed Wales, who are very proactive, with huge amounts of competition activity and medal success.
WorldSkills UK Deputy CEO Ben Blackledge said: “Taking part in a WorldSkills UK competition can be a life-changing experience and we are delighted to have received record numbers of registrations this year. It is fantastic to see how the Cheshire Colleges have embraced the impact of competitions and how this has resulted in huge increase in registrations across the whole region.”
All four Further Education colleges in Cheshire are part of this collaboration; Cheshire College South and West, Macclesfield College, Reaseheath College, Warrington & Vale Royal College.
